Doors began opening for Pound Cake when it joined beauty brand Glossier Inc.’s inaugural grant programme in 2020. Photo: Instagram/Pound Cake
For startup beauty brands with founders of colour, landing shelf space at a major retailer can be both a cause for celebration and the beginning of a new set of challenges.
First, there’s fulfilling orders – often the biggest-ever for a new brand and a test for labs and suppliers. Then, there’s launching in hundreds of stores on the same day. And once you’re on shelves, new customers need to be sold on the product among a sea of options.
